Someone Like You
by hearts-ablaze
Summary: He plays Quidditch for a living, and she's never seen a single game in her life. When James arrives home after England was knocked out of the finals of the World Cup, he was expecting a few weeks of peace; catching up with his mates, sleeping, watching TV, seeing his parents... But he never thought he'd end up falling for her. There was absolutely no way he'd expected that. (AU)
1. Chapter One

Five minutes alone. That was all he needed; five minutes to himself.

He climbed the stairs to his flat, his bags hanging from each of his hands with the last of his strength. He was exhausted. His bones ached, his muscles ached, even his head ached. He stepped off the last step of the staircase, and sighed in relief as he stopped in front of the familiar door with the familiar number 6 on it; the one he hadn't seen in months and months. He almost laughed when he realised he'd been dreaming about this particular door, and what lay behind it; his bed, his shower, his clothes, his food; his, all his.

He pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open with his shoulder as he dragged his bags into the entrance of his flat, dropping them to the floor and leaning back on the door as it shut. He sighed happily, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the moment.

He'd spent 8 months with the team; 243 days of the World Cup tour, travelling around Europe with the English side. This was the first time he'd set foot in his flat in all that time, the first time he'd been home, the first time he was going to sleep in his own bed and make his own meal; horribly overcooked and would probably make him ill, but at least it would be his own. He smiled to himself, he loved playing for the team; but eight months was a long time to be away from home.

He picked up his bags once again and walked into the living room, frowning slightly at the sight before him. So much for five minutes alone… Sirius Black was wearing only his underwear as he was seated on James' couch, eating cereal and watching the muggle television Remus had bought James as a housewarming gift.

"What are you doing here?" James groaned, placing his bags down again before leaning on the doorframe tiredly.

Sirius looked over at James and grinned with a mouthful of cereal, small amounts of milk spilling from the sides of his mouth as he did, "Oh hey Prongs." Sirius managed to say through the half chewed cereal. James sighed and raised his eyebrows expectantly,

Sirius swallowed his breakfast and said happily, "Didn't know you were coming home today! Welcome home, mate!" Though excited to see him, Sirius seemed to be having trouble tearing his attention away from the television set.

"You don't live here." James reminded him, shaking his head with a chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair – deciding that once he was rested he needed a shower to wash the mop of hair, "I'm going to go have a sleep. Wake me later, we'll go get some lunch or something." James said with a small yawn, leaving his bags where they were and headed for his room.

When he pushed the door open, he found the room littered with Sirius' clothes and belongings. James groaned as he pushed a pile of clothes off his bed and onto the floor; maybe he had wanted five minutes to himself, but he was at least a little bit glad to know that Sirius hadn't changed while he was gone. He smiled to himself and pulled his pillow underneath his head,

"It's good to be home." He muttered to himself before he lost his battle with consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, so I started writing this a while ago and I didn't want to post it but I figured that I may as well. Be warned that my track record for doing updates is pretty atrocious, so I apologise in advance and hope that posting three chapters straight up will make it bearable? I'm not great with AU's so advice or tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated xo**


	2. Chapter Two

James suddenly found himself wishing he'd put a little more effort into getting dressed. Men and women in darkly coloured dress robes passed all around him; everyone seemed to be in some sort of hurry, though a few that passed him found the time to throw him disgruntled looks at his appearance; a pair of old, faded jeans and his navy blue, Puddlemere jumper with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He smirked back at them, and returned to his search.

As he looked around, he could see no sign of the door he needed. A small voice interrupted his thoughts suddenly,

"Can I help you?"

He spun around to find the source, a young witch sitting at a desk not far from him. She was pretty enough; dark hair, blue eyes, and mascara that seemed to have clumped in her lashes, along with her glossy red nail polish that matched her lipstick. He gave her a charming smile, "Looking for a mates office, actually – I'm not in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, am I?"

She shook her head softly and blushed slightly, but before she could answer another voice interrupted her, "You're in the Department of Administrative Registration, sir. I must ask that you leave my interns alone to do their work."

James stood up taller as the voice in question approached him; the owner was small, pale and had a thick braid of red hair falling over her shoulder, she wore little makeup compared to her intern, but she was just as – if not more - beautiful. She had a stack of files clutched to her chest as she blatantly took in his appearance before stating,

"Visitors must have passes on them at all times."

"Not a problem." He said with a small shrug, burying his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Follow me then, I have to drop these off upstairs so I will show the way." She said, giving him a small smile and nodding in the direction of the elevators. James nodded and smiled back as he followed closely behind her, watching as her braid swayed with each of her steps. She pressed the button for the elevator, and adjusted the files in her arms as she waited,

"So you work in Magical Law Enforcement too?" James asked casually as he appeared beside her a moment later, running a hand through his hair as he looked down at her.

She shook her head, glancing up at him briefly as she said, "I work for the Minister."

James grinned cheekily, hands buried in his pockets as he chuckled and said, "Doesn't everyone here?"

"Technically, yes. I work _for_ him though. I organise his meetings, oversee the interns trainings, and schedule department inquir-"

"So you're his secretary?" He asked suddenly, tilting his head to the side. She narrowed her eyes at him and said hotly,

"No, Anne Matthews is his secretary. She takes his memo's and gets his coffee-"

"Black, one sugar." James muttered, absentmindedly as the doors to the elevator opened and he stepped inside, holding the doors open for her.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she too stepped inside the elevator.

He turned to look at her once more as he let go of the doors, shrugging as he said, "Nothing, I didn't say anything."

"I thought you said-"

"So if you're not his secretary, what are you?"

She sighed, pulling her braid back over her shoulder and adjusting the files in her arms once more, "I'm the department manager for the Minister of Magic and Support staff."

"Sounds a lot more interesting than secretary." He commented, smiling slightly as he ran a hand through his hair, watching her as she stared straight ahead; it was obvious that she was avoiding his gaze, but he wasn't sure why, "You didn't tell me your name, love."

She rolled her eyes and turned to face him, "Tell me, does it honestly work?" She scoffed, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she stared up at him. He frowned slightly, adjusting his glasses idly as he asked,

"Does what work?"

She let out an exasperated laugh, "Oh come on; this whole _thing_ you've got going on. You're clearly used to girls diving into your arms. _Charismatic and fascinating._ Girls must absolutely fawn over you; with the crooked smile, calling girls 'love' and winking at poor unsuspecting administration interns. Does it actually work?"

He ruffled his hair with a smirk, "So what if it does?"

She rolled her eyes with a laugh, just as the doors of the elevator opened again and she stepped out and turned to face him, "Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Two levels up; don't get lost." She said with a smirk, the doors of the elevator closing between them and she disappeared from sight.

* * *

**A/N: This is super short I apologise, please don't hate me xo**


	3. Chapter Three

It had been a big change for James, moving from national league quidditch with Puddlemere to playing for England. It happened quickly too; McIntyre recruited James from a Puddlemere training session, and a month later James was wearing the red and white robes and standing with 6 other of England's finest. James had stood beside Ludovic Bagman, a man he'd admired since he was old enough to fly; he was his teammate, his equal. It was everything he'd dreamed of, everything he'd worked for; though he had to admit – it had been rough to leave everything behind. James was revelling in being home; being able to pop by and see Remus while he was at work, to sit in his best mates office and just talk without having to rush off to training or a team meeting… it was nice, it was normal.

James succeeded in finding Remus' office without the help of the mysterious 'department manager'. He sat lazily in the chair opposite Remus' desk, his feet up on the polished wood as he tossed a round item he'd found on the shelf up and down in the air.

There was a comfortable silence between the two. James had always found he and Remus could sit quietly without _having _to talk. Whereas Sirius never shut up long enough for he and James to find out. James had grown tired of throwing the glass orb in the air, and instead he set it down on Remus' desk and leaned back casually in his chair, smiling comfortably.

"I heard about the game against Portugal-" Remus said carefully, but James groaned loudly and the smile disappeared quickly from his face before he buried his face in his hands,

"Don't remind me." He groaned into his hands, "Abomination, it was an absolute abomination."

England's last game against Portugal. It was a decider. If they'd won, England would have gone on to play Belgium in the finals; but they had the cup ripped from them when Nick Draper slipped off the end of his broom just as he was about to catch the snitch. Draper plummeted over 100 meters and broke 6 ribs and his left arm, but Nick had admitted that those injuries didn't hurt nearly as bad as losing the team the cup had. The team tried to feel sorry for him, they tried to hide their disappointment; but they did a horrid job of it.

"It wasn't so bad, we were listening to it on the wireless… real shame about Draper though." Remus said, leaning his elbows on his desk as he tapped the end of his quill on the wood. There was a small beep from James' wrist, and he sat up straighter and moved his hands from his face, checking his watch before his face broke into a grin,

"5 o'clock, Moony."

"Congratulations, Prongs. Finally figured out how to tell the time while you were away?"

"Shut it, you git. 5 o'clock means you're done for the day. I told Pad we'd meet him and Pete at the Leaky Cauldron for a reunion drink." He said excitedly; bouncing on the balls of his feet like a child on Christmas Eve, moving quickly to the door, "Come on! Move any slower and anyone would think you were drippy pensioner!"

Remus rolled his eyes, "When are you going away again?" he muttered, though his couldn't help but smile as he stood up and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. The pair moved from Remus' office and down towards the elevators. They climbed into the first one that arrived, and just as the doors where about to shut, a small hand pulled them apart.

It was the redhead. She pulled the doors apart and stood aside, a small smile on her face – until her eyes landed on James that is.

"You." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"You." James mimicked, smirking back at her.

"James!" Another voice interrupted, one he knew all too well. James' grin grew as he spotted the Minister of Magic. The elderly man stepped inside the elevator and clasped James' shoulders, "James, my boy! When did you get back?" The Minister asked with a wide grin,

"Just this morning, sir." James replied with a grin, and dodged a swing of the elderly man's arm,

"You should have let us know you were coming back into town! We could have had a dinner ready!" The Minister scolded, adding cheerfully to the other man, "Remus, wonderful to see you as always!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." James said defensively, though his grin was still firmly in place as Remus grinned back at the elderly man. His eyes shot to the redhead for a moment, who looked speechless at the interaction. "Besides," he continued casually, "You know I can't stand those formal dinners you two throw." He said with a smug smirk.

All colour seemed to drain from the redheads face, she'd never heard someone talk to the Minister like that before and get away with it - in fact, she looked a little ill.

"Y-you two know each other, then?" She stuttered, blinking a few times as she tried to comprehend the scene before her. The Minister laughed, and with a grin he opened his mouth to speak, but James covered his mouth with his hand and said,

"You could say that."

The Minister looked confused, and tried to mumble something beneath the young mans hand. The redhead looked as though she was about to pass out, clutching her files to her chest once more,

"What are you doing?" She hissed, staring at James' grip on the elderly mans face. The Minister looked bemused as he pushed James' had from his face with a laugh.

"Not to worry, Lily. James here likes to have a bit of fun, don't you son?" He chuckled, straightening his robes before the elevator doors opened again. Lily stepped out quickly; seemingly desperate to escape the situation she had found herself in, "Our floor. Got a meeting to get to. Come round for lunch tomorrow, will you? Your mother would love to see you." The Minister said, clapping James on the shoulder, "Actually, Remus... You and the boys should come too, you know how that woman loves you lot." He added with a fond smile, before he too stepped out of the elevator.

"See you tomorrow, Dad." James called to the elderly man, before adding casually to the redhead, "Nice to see you again, Lily.""

If any colour had remained in her face, it drained at that comment. She stared back at James with wide eyes, and mouthed, "Dad?"

James smirked as the doors closed, and he lost sight of the redhead's bewildered expression.

* * *

**A/N: It's longer than the others but I'm still not _exactly_ sure where I'm going with this story. Hope you guys liked it xo**


	4. Chapter Four

Lily Evans had always been a sensible woman. She'd always seen reason and had been practical about everything in her life; at six years old she had her wardrobe organised by colour and how often she wore each item of clothing. By her ninth birthday, her (extensive) book collection was categorised by subject, date of publish and author's last name. She'd known since the age of thirteen that she wanted to be someone important, to do something important, to make a difference in the world. And at the age of fifteen she realised that she could do that at the Ministry of Magic. And here she was at twenty-one, working for the Minster himself, her clothing and books sitting in her flat organised and categorised as they always had been.

And her best friend was now tearing the former apart.

"You have nothing sexy in here!" Marlene McKinnon huffed as she through yet another set of robes over her shoulder and onto the floor. Lily watched in horror, as her organisation was singlehandedly undone by one very thin, very blonde witch.

"Why would I need anything _sexy_?" Lily asked with an exasperated sigh as she rushed to pick the clothes up from the floor, scooping them into her arms and dropping them onto her duvet cover.

"Oh, I don't know… maybe because you can't wear a grey, knee-length, pencil skirt out for drinks." Marlene cringed as she hauled the offensive skirt out of the wardrobe and held it up, pulling a face. Lily frowned and crossed her arms,

"I happen to like that skirt."

"It's heinous, Lily. It's something my mother would wear."

Lily stepped forward and snatched it out of Marlene's hand; "There's nothing wrong with it. Besides, it's only drinks at the Leaky Cauldron for Mary's birthday. I see absolutely no need for me to be wearing anything 'sexy'."

Marlene huffed and mumbled, "Well good because you haven't got anything remotely provocative… Hang on!" She said, grinning wide as she remembered her Christmas gift to Lily, pulling hangers apart in an attempt to find the dress. She found it in with the black blazers, black pencil skirts and black robes – tearing it off the hanger and throwing it at Lily,

"You've no choice. That was a gift and I know for a fact that you haven't worn it. So you have an obligation to wear it at least once. And that once may as well be tonight." She grinned triumphantly as Lily's shoulders rounded forward in defeat. The redhead looked apprehensively down at the soft black material in her hand, and internally cursed herself for not wearing the dress before now.

"Can I at least wear tights with it?" She asked with a glint of hope, holding the dress at arms length with a sigh. The black dress was modest enough, long sleeved and a high neckline. Though the length was much shorter than Lily was comfortable with, but at least with tights she might manage feeling the slightest bit at ease in it.

"As long as you wear heels as well."

Lily audibly groaned and fell face first into her mattress, her hair splayed around her head over her duvet cover, "You're trying to humiliate me?" she asked when she finally sat up, pulling her back into ponytail.

Marlene sighed, and sat down beside the redhead as she pulled her knees into her chest, "I'm not trying to humiliate you. I figured it might be nice, you know… if you met a bloke. I – I'm just worried, is all." She admitted with a shrug.

"Worried? What for?"

"You spend so much time at the Ministry, and when you're not there working, you're here working. Besides the fact that this will be the first time the five of us have gotten together in eight months-"

"It hasn't been eight months-" She interrupted with an indignant frown, her arms folded across her chest.

"It's been eight months, Lily. That's when you got that promotion, and the last time we all went out for drinks was the night we celebrated said promotion." Marlene said sadly as she ran a hand through her long hair, "Besides all that, I'm just worried that you're…"

"That I'm what, Marlene?"

"I don't know… lonely?"

"I'm _not_ lonely, I'm – I'm independent. There's an incredibly clear difference between the two, Marlene." Lily retorted heatedly, feeling the colour rise in her cheeks at the accusation.

"I know, Lily. I know. But… I don't know - Don't you just sometimes wish there was someone there to cheer for you, when you can't cheer for yourself?" Marlene asked, frowning slightly at the fire behind Lily's response – it was almost too quick, too sharp.

With a huff, Lily stood up and snatched the dress from her bed covers, "What does that even mean?" She muttered under her breath as she walked towards the bathroom to get dressed.

oooo

She'd hardly even stopped to think how much she'd missed in the eight months since her promotion. And now that she had stopped to think about it, she'd begun to despise herself. She'd let her friends lives continue without her, with stories and jokes and names that she didn't know, that she didn't understand. They were her closest friends, yet she'd never felt so far away. Lily made the excuse that it was her round to buy drinks, forcing her way through the crowd towards the bar. Lily found herself almost relieved to be away from the table, which was until a man appeared beside her at the bar,

"Hey," He said to the young bartender, holding up four fingers as he continued, "It's my round so I need... four firewhiskey's. Two with ice, two without." He said, passing the bartender the money he owed and turning to lean casually back on the bar, looking out at the dancing crowd with a small smile.

She looked up and almost groaned audibly,

"You are kidding me…" She muttered, letting out an incredulous laugh as she looked up at the man beside her. James Potter.

He glanced to his left as he felt a pair of eyes on him, his face breaking into a grin as he spotted her, "Department Manager, Lily! Blimey, you scrub up all right," He beamed, "What're you doing here?"

"You don't need to call me 'Department Manager'. You can just call me Lily…" She muttered, "It's my mates birthday, so we're just having a few drinks to celebrate." She explained, motioning to the table of women not far from them, before she swiftly drank one of the drinks that were placed in front of her by the bartender, and then another, and then –

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up there, love. You don't look like you're celebrating." He frowned, placing his hand atop the third glass gently and pushing it back down to the bar, "Everything all right?" he asked kindly, bending his knees slightly so they were eye to eye.

She felt the drinks make her head spin, on top of the three others she'd already had earlier, but she didn't sway, or falter in her expression. She wanted to retort about him calling her 'love' again, but instead she just stared right back into his warm eyes and said, "I'm fine, James."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked, bringing one of the firewhiskey's without ice to his lips and taking a sip, "Because it seems like you're not."

She didn't know why she told him, she didn't even know why she was still standing there talking to him. Maybe she really was lonely. There was something about him that made her trust him, despite her initial judgements of him, but she told him.

"Do you know what it's like to be gone from people's lives without even realising that their worlds go on without you?" She asked softly. Her voice was quiet, meaning he had to lean in slightly to hear her properly, "They move flats, or move in _with_ people, or they change jobs, or get into relationships or get out of relationships, or go on holidays, or they go about things as normal. And then all of a sudden you don't know what they're talking about, or who they're talking about… and you just feel… alone." She was surprised when she watched him look over his shoulder towards a table nearby with three men sitting around it, grinning and laughing together.

"Would it shock you if I said yes?" He asked when he finally looked back at her, a small, understanding smile on his face.

"A little, yeah." She admitted with a laugh, running her hand through her hair as she glanced back over at her own friends quickly.

He let out a small laugh before bringing his glass to his lips, falling silent as he thought about her words, surprised at how much they resonated with him. It was strange; having been away for so long, to come back and try and fit himself back into everyone's lives. He was hardly paying attention to his surroundings anymore when he heard her voice pull his focus back once more,

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

* * *

**A/N: Hey Hi Hello. Let me know x**


	5. Chapter Five

"I refuse to believe you've never been here before!"

"I haven't!"

"How is that even possible?" She laughed as she pulled herself up to another tree branch, sitting comfortably on it as she looked out over the Serpentine. Somehow, the lake looked even more beautiful in the evening as it did during the day, and every time she looked over the water she thought about all the memories she had about this place. She peered around the trunk of the large tree and grinned at him. He was sitting level with her, one hand holding on to the branch above him and the other running through his hair as he grinned right back.

"I dunno," He admitted with a shrug, a lopsided smile on his lips, "I just never spent a whole lot of time in London until I moved here, I guess."

She hummed softly, "My dad used to bring my sister and I here as girls, we used rent a rowboat and the three of us would go from one end of that lake, to the other and back again… we'd spend all day here," She said with a smile as she looked back out over the water, "By the time we got home we'd all be so tired and sunburnt and my mum would be so mad," Lily laughed at the memory, as she picked at the bark of the tree absentmindedly, "And my dad, he'd pull a _huge_ bunch of flowers from behind his back, ones that he'd pinched right out of the gardens. And my mum, she'd give him this look… like… like she was trying _so _hard to stay cross at him, but she just couldn't do it."

"He sounds like a good bloke." James said, the same smile plastered on his face. Lily began to wonder if that grin was just permanently attached to him. She nodded slowly as she turned her attention back to him,

"He was. He was the best."

His smile faded quickly when the gravity of her words sunk in, "Was?" He asked gently, dreading her answer.

She nodded and explained quietly, "He died," There was a heavy silence in the air that always followed whenever she spoke those two words, and she _hated_ that damn silence, "About six years ago now. Cancer, in the end." She said with a shrug, returning to picking bark off of the tree. They sat high off the ground, but somehow this conversation made her feel even further from the grass beneath them, "It was strange, watching him go. He was still so… so happy. He was in so much pain, and he was still so _fucking_ happy." Her voice trembled slightly. If the topic ever came up, she'd say as little as possible – she had no idea why she was telling him so much, or why she was finding it difficult to stop her mouth from moving.

There was another silence, though this time it wasn't uncomfortable or forced or weighted. It was as though she had said everything she had to say, and he didn't have anything to say in return. He didn't know what it was about her. There was something about this redheaded girl that was already driving him crazy. She'd drunkenly propositioned that they go somewhere together, and he would have been barking mad to refuse. She was gorgeous of course, but there was more to her than that. She was brilliant and clever and witty, her laugh made him feel lighter and every slight touch set his skin on fire. Though when she'd suggested they leave the pub, he hadn't been expecting to be sitting up a tree in Hyde Park an hour later, he'd been expecting to be snogging her in a cab on the way back to her flat… but he had to admit, he was enjoying every moment with her up in that tree. He didn't know what it was about her, but this bloody girl was a game changer.

He glanced down the bank of the lake and smiled softly, "Any chance you want to go on one of those rowboats you were talking about?"

She laughed softly at the suggestion, pulling her hair over one shoulder as she kicked her legs slowly through the air, "That's a nice thought, James. But the hire place is only open during the day."

He bit down on his bottom lip as he grinned, and she thanked God she hadn't been standing when he did. She was convinced that act alone would have been enough to send her weak at the knees. He jumped swiftly from his branch and she gasped as he plummeted to the ground, miraculously landing elegantly on his feet.

"Are you barking?" She exclaimed from her branch, her eyes wide as he grinned mischievously up at her,

"Come on!" He called up at her, running a hand through his hair, "I'm getting old down here."

"I am not jumping from this tree, you lunatic!" She laughed incredulously, holding onto the branch so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I'll catch you, I promise."

She trusted this madman and she didn't know why. But she squeezed her eyes shut, and she jumped. She bloody jumped from that tree branch with a small squeal, and before she knew it she dropped softly into his arms. She felt his strong arms beneath her, and she slowly opened her eyes to meet his,

"That was stupid." She told him with a sharp breath in as she realised that she was unscathed, laughing disbelievingly once more.

"Fun though, huh?" He smirked, lowering her so that she was standing in front of him as she shook her head defiantly, but he could see the look in her eyes. The adrenaline that was pumping through her veins, the way it made her heart race and the way it made her muscles shudder. He grabbed hold of her hand, and realised it wasn't the adrenaline that made him feel that way; it was her.

"C'mon. Let's go on that boat ride." He smiled cheekily, tugging on her hand as he headed towards the lake.

"I'm telling you, the rental place is closed!" She argued as he pulled her towards the bank. But it wasn't long before she realised what he had planned. There was a glossy white rowboat pulled up onto the sand, it's oars tucked safely inside. He grinned as they reached it,

"We could get in trouble!" She protested as he began to attempt to dislodge the boat from the sand, and he laughed at her objection,

"Seems to me like you worry too much about getting in to trouble."

She frowned at this, before pulling off her heels and tossing them into the boat, "You seem like trouble, Potter." She said, standing inches from his face with a smirk on her own. He leant his forehead gently against hers and smiled, the smell of her perfume overwhelmed his senses and made his heart pound against his ribcage,

"I _am_ trouble." He whispered to her, his hands still holding on to the bow of the boat, "Does that bother you?"

She placed a small hand on his cheek as she bit down on her bottom lip, "Surprisingly, no." She closed her eyes for only a moment, before leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips lightly to his. She felt his lips arch into a smile against hers, and when she pulled away, his eyes stayed closed for a second longer. When he opened them at last, she had her back to him as she climbed into the rowboat. He touched two fingers to his lips as he watched her settle down in the boat, smiling back at him. His lips burned where hers had warmed. He was praying to any higher power that would listen, that she could not hear his heart pounding against his chest.

James pushed hard on the bow of the boat, and pushed it off the sand and in to the water. He jumped swiftly over the edge and onto the seat that sat opposite hers, smiling widely at her.

"So," She said suddenly as she helped him place the oars in their oarlocks, "Is this your move then?"

"My _move_?"

"Yeah. You know, your big _move_." She said with an amused smirk on her lips, "Every guy's got a move, the one thing that makes girls swoon and jump into their arms and say _'take me now'_." She teased, watching as he rolled his eyes and began to row the boat into the center of the lake.

"Well, you have already jumped into my arms…" He said with a laugh, an oar in each hand as he grinned at her, "So does that make me jumping out of a tree, my '_move'_?"

"No," She rolled her eyes as she watched him intently, smirking back at him.

"Bollocks," he chuckled, letting the oars relax as the reached the middle of the Serpentine, "I can do _this _though, and maybe this is my move." He said hopefully as he carefully placed a foot on the bench of the rowboat, her smiled dropped,

"No, James don't-"

"You wanted to see my move." He countered with a grin as he stepped his other foot onto the bench, and stood up slowly, the boat rocking and the oars tapping softly against the water with each of his slight movements. She watched with wide eyes as he managed to stand up gracefully, holding his arms out as he grinned down at her, "Well, what do you think?"

She looked up at him, and her shocked expression slowly turned to that of amusement. She quickly moved to mimic his movements, slowly placing one foot on the bench before the other and standing up straight. She crossed her arms over her chest as she smirked at him. They began to laugh at how ridiculous it all was, the two of them standing in a boat in the middle of the Serpentine, in the middle of Hyde Park at 2am. They laughed until a voice interrupted, a voice calling from the bank,

"Oi, you two! That boat is private property!"

Lily snapped her head over her shoulder at the sound of the voice, her eyes wide at the sight of the man shouting at them. As a result of her sharp movement, the boat began to rock abruptly, and before they knew it the boat was upside down and they were thrown into the icy water.

She inhaled sharply at the feeling of the water against her skin and thrashed in the water for a moment, "Oh my God!" she squealed, before James' head emerged out of the water with a strained breath. He looked around frantically, and as soon as he caught sight of her not far from him, his face broke into a grin.

"You okay?"

She nodded, her teeth chattering as the icy water soaked through her clothes. He nodded towards the other side of the lake, "Come on," he said quickly before the two of them swam towards the bank, climbing out of the water and making a run for it as the man continued to shout at them. They sprinted through the labyrinth of pathways and didn't stop until they were out of sight, and the sound of the man's yelling had disappeared. Cold and shivering, she looked up at him as her chest softly rose and fell in her attempt to catch her breath. His face was dripping with concern, as well as the water running from his hair, he was out of breath and looked so shocking with his hair stuck down around his face, that she began to laugh. He looked at her, perplexed, for a moment. Before he too began to laugh. They laughed until their stomachs hurt, until they were clutching their sides at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

Lily's laughter finally subsided and with a half chuckle, she groaned quietly, "My shoes were in the boat." She explained as she looked down at her feet. The only thing between her feet and the pavement was the thin layer of stockings.

He grinned at her again and said, "Easy fix. Jump on." He turned his back to her and crouched down, and she tentatively climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck,

"You sure?" she asked as she rested her head on his shoulder. He began to walk towards the road and out of the park as he nodded with that bloody lopsided smile,

"Can't have you walking home barefoot, what sort of bloke would I be?"

Lily was only just starting to find out what sort of bloke James really was. He was a man who made her open up about things she didn't tell anyone, he made her laugh, and do stupid things like steal rowboats and jump from trees. He was gorgeous and a gentleman, and she felt safe around him. But there was still so much she didn't know.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I'm not really sure what to put down here anymore. Leave your thoughts, comments, opinions x**


End file.
